Chuck Carbo - Second Line On Monday (504 SP4)

Second Line On Monday

CHUCK CARBO
1926-2008

Please join me in saying goodbye to yet another legend of R&B, the 'Voice of New Orleans', Chuck Carbo.

As a founding member and lead vocalist of The Spiders, that voice could be heard on no less than five top ten R&B hits between 1954 and 1956. The group broke up shortly after that, with both Chuck and his brother Chick pursuing solo careers. Although he would never reach such stellar heights again, Chuck remained a well known and much-loved performer in his hometown, with singles on local labels like Rex and Fireball.

Thanks to the efforts of folks like Larry Grogan, his best known song is no doubt the uber-funky, Eddie Bo produced, Can I Be Your Squeeze, which is truly one of the hottest records to ever emanate from the Crescent City. It was picked up for national distribution by Wally Roker's Canyon label in 1969, but still never got the airplay it deserved. You can check it out over at Funky 16 Corners, along with it's B side, Take Care Of Your Homework. Great Stuff.

I picked up this cool single you're listening to now down at Mardi Gras in 1988. A big local hit, it was overshadowed by it's mighty B side, Meet Me With Your Black Draws On, which would become the big 'Carnival Song' that year, and remains heavy in the rotation to this day. It was recorded with 'Ed Frank's New Orleans R&B Band', which would include our man Alvin Robinson on guitar in his last session before he died...

So raise dem umb-a-rellas high y'all - "Over in the Glory Land, he's going to meet the Holy Man!"

Yeah, you rite.

Thanks, Chuck. May you rest in peace, my brother.